WHITE SOX NOTES.

Losing the mental game

Manuel blames lack of offense for lethargy

July 16, 2002|By Paul Sullivan, Tribune staff reporter.

CLEVELAND — "Come ready to play" is the White Sox slogan in 2002.

But on many occasions, the Sox could be accused of false advertising.

"The only thing we haven't done on a consistent basis is come with a high level of intensity every game," Jeff Liefer said. "We play hard, but the mental intensity--I don't see it there every game. It has been there the last couple games, but it has been up and down a lot this year. That's something easy to control."

Why can't the Sox control it then?

"I don't know that," Liefer replied. "I'm not going to put any blame on anyone other than ourselves as a team. That's the big question this year. We should be winning, and for whatever reason we're not. I really don't have an answer."

Jose Valentin agreed the Sox don't always show the same kind of intensity.

"I know it's tough to do for 162 games, but you have to come ready to play every day," he said.

Manager Jerry Manuel said his players are hustling, but it doesn't show when the offense gets shut down.

"When you don't [score runs], you look lethargic, like you've given up," Manuel said. "You don't get many opportunities to hustle when you don't get hits."

With a 12-game trip against four sub-.500 teams, this was supposed to a golden opportunity for the Sox to gain some ground on Minnesota before their showdown in Comiskey Park on July 22-24. Minnesota is the only team above .500 the Sox will play until Anaheim comes to Chicago on Aug. 6.

"You have to continue to have that blind faith that things are going to happen," Manuel said. "As long as there's time left on the schedule, you have to keep believing. That's all we as a staff can do."

Sometimes you get exactly what you pay for, as the White Sox appear intent on proving in 2002. The Sox began the season ranked 18th among the 30 major-league teams in payroll at $57 million. The Sox also rank 18th in major-league winning percentage at .468.

Going, going: Ray Durham, considered the likeliest player to be traded by July 31, committed only one error in the first 22 games of the season. He since has made 14 errors over his last 65 games, including a ground ball through his legs on the first batter of the first inning Monday night. Only a players' strike may prevent Durham from breaking his personal high of 19 errors set in 1999.

But Durham entered Monday with a .368 batting average in July, fourth-best among AL hitters, and still could be a valuable addition to a contender.

Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Dan Evans, who dealt for James Baldwin at the trade deadline last year, may be looking to his former club once again.

Sox files: Manuel has no immediate plans to put Rocky Biddle in the rotation. Biddle pitched well against Detroit in a spot start Saturday. The Sox's No. 5 starters this year--Gary Glover, Jon Rauch and Biddle--are a combined 3-7 in 16 starts with a 6.72 ERA.